482 
148 
>V 1 



DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 



REPORT 



OF THE 



GENERAL SUPERINTENDENT AND 

LANDSCAPE ENGINEER OF 

NATIONAL PARKS 



TO THE 



SECRETARY OP THE INTERIOR 



1915 




WASHINGTON : GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1915 



M.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 



REPORT 



OF THE 



GENERAL SUPERINTENDENT AND 

LANDSCAPE ENGINEER OF 

NATIONAL PARKS 



TO THE 



SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR 



/■ '^ 



1915 




WASHINGTON : GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1915 



D. of D. 
JAN ^ 1916 






^•t^ 
\^"^ 



OOJSTTENTS. 



Page. 

Functions of our national parks ., 5 

National patriotism .* 6 

Knowledge and health 6 

The tourist 7 

A general policy 8 

What has been accomplished 9 

Installation of cost-keeping system in Yosemite National Park 9 

Purchase of supplies 10 

Improvement in transportation, Yosemite National Park 10 

Acquisition of roads 11 

Road and trail maps 11 

The village plan for Yosemite 11 

Yosemite National Park 12 

Crater Lake National Park 12 

Mesa Verda National Park 13 

Glacier National Park 13 

Sequoia National Park 13 

Recommendations : 

As to the office of the general superintendent and landscape engineer of 

national parks 13 

Recommendations for the various parks — 

Yosemite National Park 14 

Sequoia National Park 18 

Crater Lake National Park 18 

Mount Rainier National Park 18 

Glacier National Park 19 

Yellowstone National Park 19 

Mesa Verde National Park 20 

Rocky Mountain National Park 20 

Piatt National Park 20 

Hot Springs Reservation 21 

Wind Cave National Park 21 

ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Suggested organization for supervision of national parks 23 

Appropriations, revenues, and visitors, Sequoia National Park . _. 24 

Appropriations under Interior Department, revenues, and visitors, Yellow- 
stone National Park 24 

Appropriations, revenues, and visitors, Wind Cave National Park 25 

Map showing national parks and national monuments 16 

Appropriations, revenues, and visitors, Yosemite National Park 25 

Appropriations, revenues, and visitors. Glacier National Park 26 

Appropriations, revenues, and visitors, Mesa Verde National Park 27 

Visitors, Sullys Hill Park 28 

Revenues and visitors. Hot Springs Reservation 28 

Appropriations, revenues, and visitors, General Grant National Park 29 

Appropriations under Interior Department, revenues, and visitors, Mount 

Rainier National Park 29 

Appropriations under Interior Department, revenues, and visitors. Crater 

Lake National Park - 30 

Appropriations, revenues, and visitors, Piatt National Park 31 

Appropriations under Interior Department, revenues, and visitors, all national 

parks 31 



REPORT OF THE GENERAL SUPERINTENDENT AND 
LANDSCAPE ENGINEER. 

Department of the Interior, 
Office of General Superintendent and 
Landscape Engineer of National Parks, 

San Francisco^ Cal.^ Monadnock Building. 

Sir: The work in this office during the first year of its life has 
brought into strong relief the need of further study of the problems 
involved in the administration of our national parks. There is a 
growing feeling that our scenic areas, and particularly those which 
have been set aside as national parks, have not received the attention 
which their importance as a factor in both the economic and aesthetic 
development of our country would seem to justify. This is evidenced 
by the marked increase in the attention paid by the press to rhe 
affairs of our parks and by the apparent desire on the part of the 
public to know more of them and the particular part they play in 
the life of the Nation. 

That the expenditure of money for the maintenance and develop- 
ment of our scenic reservations has an economic as well as aesthetic 
justification there can be no doubt, for each year large sums of 
money have left this country to be spent by tourists in foreign lands 
in search of scenic beauty. The fact that no material proportion of 
this sum returns is only less provoking than the knowledge that the 
money thus taken abroad by i^mericans is spent to view natural 
attractions that are inferior "to those which may be found at home. 
In your report of 1913 you stated that land is not always land, but 
is sometimes coal, sometimes timber. One might add that it is some- 
times scenery and, as such, merits the careful study and development 
that would be extended to other national resources. 

The condition of travel in foreign lands has stimulated the in- 
terest of our people in the merits of similar pleasures in ihis coun- 
try. Never in history has there been so great a volume of travel in 
the United States. Surely it is the part of wisdom to retain this 
great advantage and to crystalize upon a general policy for the ad- 
ministration of our national parks. 

FUNCTIONS OF OUR NATIONAL PARKS. 

The first step in the consideration of a general policy for the ad- . 
ministration of the national parks is the determination of just what 
functions they perform. Clearly they are not designated solely for 
the purpose of supplying recreation grounds. The fostering of re- 
creation purely as such is more properly the function of the city, 
county, and State parks, and there should be a clear distinction be- 
tween the character of such parks and national parks. The latter 

5 



6 REPORT LANDSCAPE ENGINEER OF NATIONAL PARKS. 

should constitute a class that is of national interest. In the category 
of national parks should be no reserA ation that is of local interest 
only. What, then, are the functions of our national parks as dis- 
tinguished from State and local parks ? As I view this question our 
national parks should serve three distinct functions : 

1. The stimulating of national patriotism. 

2. The furthering of knowledge and health. 

3. The diverting of tourist travel to the scenic areas of the United 
States. 

NATIONAL PATRIOTISM. 

We, as a people, have been accused of lacldng in that love of coun- 
try with which our neighbors in Europe are so plentifully blessed. 
Whether such a criticism is merited or not, it is certain that local 
patriotism has rapidly grown in this countrj^ more or less at the 
expense of patriotism for the country as a whole. This condition 
would not exist if our people knew their country. 

To love a thing one must know it. The Belgian knows each hill 
and dale of his small countrj'^ and loves it with an intensity that has 
become proverbial. And so it is with the Swiss, the French, the 
English. These peoples Imow their lands and love them. But ours 
is a great country, stretching from sea to sea, and a knowledge of 
all its glories is given to but few. What more noble purpose could 
our national parks serve than to become the instrument by which 
the people shall be lured into the far corners of their land that they 
may learn to love it? For one who will encompass the circuit of 
our parks, passing over the great mesas of Colorado, crossing the 
painted desert, threading the sparkling Sierra Nevada, and viewing 
the glaciers and snow-capped peaks of the great Northwest will 
surely return with a burning determination to love and work for, 
and if necessary to fight for and die for the glorious land which 
is his. 

KNOWLEDGE AND HEALTH. 

I have said that it is my opinion the Federal Government is not 
justified in maintaining a national park for recreation purposes alone, 
yet it is readily seen from the character of our reservations that each 
has its recreational feature. I do believe, however, that objects and 
districts of great educational value should be reserved and placed 
in the category of national parks. Natural phenomena, great can- 
yons, ruins of antiquity, waterfalls — all are objects of great interest 
and possess an educational value that can not be estimated. 

In Yellowstone are the geysers, in Yosemite the highest of water- 
falls, in Sequoia the largest and oldest trees on earth, trees that were 
3,000 years old when Christ was born. In Wind Cave National Park 
is a cave that comprises over 90 miles of sparkling passages. At 
Arkansas Hot Springs and Piatt National Park are medicinal waters 
that have dispelled the pain of legions of sufferers. In Mesa Verde 
National Park are the crumbling dwellings of a forgotten race. 

Pregnant with mystery and romance, these ancient ruins beckon 
the traveler across the great green mesa and cast about him the spell 
of endless conjecture. If for no other reason, the value of these 
treasures as a medium for the furthering of knowledge and health 



EEPOET LANDSCAPE ENGINEER OF NATIONAL PARKS. 7 

fully justifies the plea for further aid, both moral and financial, from 
our Federal Government. 

If this aid is granted and a systematic effort is put forth to send 
our people out into the hinterland of this country, we shall be con- 
fronted by the problem of caring for a flood of tourists whose needs 
must be anticipated. 

THE TOURIST. 

The first logical step to be taken in an analysis of the conditions of 
tourist travel is a study of the tourist himself. Primarily, the tourist 
takes the line of least resistance. This means that he seeks the path 
that presents the best accommodations for the least cost. From a 
record of travel in our parks it may be shown that the finest scenery 
without accommodations will not receive so large a travel as an 
inferior character of scenery which has a better type of accommo- 
dation. 

The tourist who upon the strength of literature issued by the 
department travels to our parks is more or less justified in holding 
the Federal Government responsible for his comforts or discomforts 
while there. Nor is he backward with criticism. He demands that 
he be instructed as to the merits of this trail or that, this camp or 
that. He not infrequently is disappointed in not finding luxuries 
that he would not expect in similar places under other than Federal 
control. He invariably overlooks the fact that he, in a way, is part 
of the Government, and therefore indirectly responsible for the con- 
ditions he finds. Nevertheless, his demands must be respected if it is 
hoped to direct his footsteps to travel in our country. 

The three potent factors in influencing tourist travel are publicity, 
accommodations, and transportation. Obviously, the tourist must be 
informed of the merits of the district to which it is desired to bring 
him. He must then be shown that the accommodations at that place 
are satisfactory; and, last, he must know that the transportation 
facilities to, through, and from the location are good and may be 
had at reasonable cost. These three factors should constantly be 
borne in mind in any planning for the development of tourist travel. 

The three general classes of tourists who visit our parks are : Those 
to whom the expense is of little moment; those who, in moderate 
financial circumstances, travel in comfort but dispense with luxuries ; 
and, third, those who, fired with the love of God's out-of-doors, save 
their pennies in anticipation of the day when they may feast their 
eyes upon the eternal expanse of snow-clad peaks and azure skies. It 
is of this latter class that I would speak. 

Many of our parks are truly vast in area, encompassing within their 
boundaries innumerable wonders. To reach these the tourist, upon 
arriving at the park, must hire saddle animals, pack animals, a guide, 
cook, and other help. The expense of such an outfit is prohibitive 
to all but the wealthy. Those who have waited and saved their money 
are denied the fuller enjoyment of our parks, for they can not bear 
the expense of transporting their supplies over the trails. There is 
but one solution of the problem of caring for this class of tourists, 
and that is the establishment of small inns at convenient intervals, 
so that tourists may travel the trails afoot, purchasing their provi- 
sions and other necessities as they go. As you are aware, the first 



8 EEPOET LANDSCAPE ENGINEEE OP NATIONAL PARKS. 

steps in an effort to bring about such a condition have been taken in 
Yosemite National Park. If this work is carried through, a blessing 
will have been conferred upon those whose lack of money has shut them 
from the greater part of our national parks. It will also be, in my 
opinion, the most potent factor in retaining, through the medium of 
our parks, a material percentage of tourist travel and will necessitate 
a careful consideration of the problem of a general policy. 

Any plan, however, which may be devised for the management of 
our national parks should not be predicated upon the assumption 
that their function is solely to accommodate and retain our tourists 
in this country. 

A GENERAL POLICY. 

A policy to be efficient must be functional. One for the parks, 
therefore, must take into consideration the distinctive characteristics 
of national parks which, as before stated, are relative to the further- 
ing of a national patriotism, public knowledge and health, and tour- 
ist travel in the home land. Upon consideration it will be seen that 
the first two follow as a natural consequence of the last. In the con- 
sideration of a general policy we are concerned primarily, therefore, 
with tourist travel. 

To foster tourist travel it will be necessary to develop the roads, 
trails, and other accommodations in the parks to a point where the 
traveler will not be subjected to serious discomfort. This means the 
expenditure of money upon a larger scale than has been the practice 
heretofore, and the first question that should be settled is. What shall 
be the source of supply ? 

There are but two practical sources from which funds may be 
secured, namely, by Federal appropriation and by revenues from the 
parks themselves. Both resources are now resorted to, each of which 
is inadequate. If the Federal Government is to support the parks, 
then they should be operated so as to make the cost to the tourist 
as low as possible. If not, then the various sources in the parks them- 
selves should be developed sufficiently to supply the needed money. 

The sources of revenue from the parks fall into four classes: 

1. Automobile permits. 

2. Concessions of various kinds. 

3. Receipts from public utilities operated by the Government, such 
as light, telephone, etc. 

4. Natural resources, such as timber, stone, fuel, etc. 

Of these four sources it will be seen that they may all be classified 
as taxes in proportion to the benefit received rather than the ability 
to pay. An analysis of this character may help in the decision of the 
policy to be pursued, but it can do no more. The decision must be 
made in the light of public needs, and the park supervisors should 
know Avhether they are to develop the park revenues to their maxi- 
mum, or whether the park is to be administered at the lowest possible 
cost to the tourist. 

If the question of finances were settled, in so far as the source is 
concerned, and a well-crystalized policy, looking toward the develop- 
ment of the parks along lines that will foster the increase of tourist 
travel in this country, is established, much of the delay and confusion 
in the field will be eliminated. 



EEPORT LANDSCAPE ENGINEER OF NATIONAL PARKS, 9 

WHAT HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED. 

The- work in this oflice has been distributed among the parks, giv- 
ing attention where it seemed to be most needed. 

One of the first steps taken after the creation of this office was the 
laying out of organization charts for tlie office of the general super- 
intendent and a typical organization chart for the Yosemite National 
Park. Three charts Avere drawn — one for the oflice of the general 
superintendent, one organization chart for the Yosemite National 
Park, and a functional organization chart making a complete and 
detailed analysis of the functions of the various officers in Yosemite 
National Park. 

INSTALLATION OP COST-KEEPING SYSTEM IN YOSEMITE 
NATIONAL PARK. 

With these organization charts well in mind, a system was devised 
which will enable the department to keep a close and accurate record 
of the operations in the parks where the system was adopted. This 
system was installed in the Yosemite National Park, and the records 
and information shown in the monthly reports therefrom enable this 
office to make many material reductions in the cost of operation. For 
example, the report of May, 1915, showed a cost of $1.66 per mile for 
sprinkling roads. The analysis given in the report enabled us to 
find the leaks and losses, and the monthly report for August, 1915, 
after repairs had been made to tlie sprinkling system, showed a cost 
of 72 cents per mile for sprinkling roads. Similar reductions were 
made possible in other departments. 

This system of cost keeping comprises two general divisions, 
namely, statistical reports and financial reports. Copies of the 
monthly reports are forwarded to the department, showing clearly 
the operations of the month. 

Before this sj^stem could be installed it was necessary to take an 
inventory of the physical assets, such as buildings, bridges, power 
plant, materials on hand, etc. This inventory was made, and dis- 
closed the astounding fact that there were in the Yosemite National 
Park on April 30, 1915, $23,625.34 represented by materials and 
supplies on hand. The inventory further showed that the assets in 
the park in the form of construction work done, utilities, etc., 
amounted to $613,635.03, apportioned in the following manner : 

Construction work, such as trails, bridges, culverts, etc $453, 923. 1.5 

Public utilities operated by the department, such as electric sj^stem, 

telephone system, etc 96, 601. 75 

Equipment, comprising live stock, wagons, machinery, etc 36, 434. 29 

Inventories, comprising materials and supplies, forage, etc 23, 625. 34 

Accounts receivable, cash on hand, etc 3, 050. 50 

613, 635. 03 

The items that go to make up this inventory are segregated, 
showing fully what has been expended on each piece of work, and it 
is proposed hereafter to keep a record so that the dei:)artment will 
have on file the amount of money spent on each road, trail, bridge, and 
ever}^ other feature in the park that demands an expenditure of money. 
It is considered that only in this Avay Avill it be possible to carefully 

11096—15 2 



10' EEPOET LANDSCAPE ENGINEER OF NATIONAL PARKS. 

check the expenditures. Further than this, it is only by resorting 
to a unit cost-keeping system that the department will be able to 
segregate accurately the moneys for maintenance from those ex- 
pended for improvements and betterments. 

PURCHASE OF SUPPLIES. 

This office, since the 1st of April, 1915, has been purchasing all 
supplies for Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks and for the other 
parks where it was practicable to do so. It was found that a better 
quality of goods could be obtained and a better price could be had by 
making a personal inspection of the supplies purposed to be fur- 
nished. 

It has been the custom in the past for the local supervisor or 
superintendent to purchase the supplies direct. The parks are so 
situated that they are usually quite a distance from a market, and 
this custom resulted in less of time in sending proposals back and 
forth. When the goods arrived, they were often found to be of 
inferior quality and not exactly what the supervisor or superin- 
tendent desired. San Francisco has a factory representative of 
practically every line of manufacture in this country, and the pur- 
chase of supplies for the national parks can be done here on the 
same basis as though the purchasing agent visited each factory and 
made a personal investigation of samples of the supplies to be fur- 
nished. Shipping these supplies over bond-aided railroads to the 
\Tarrous parks places the local dealers in the vicinity of the parks 
(^Ho have heretofore had this business) in direct competition with 
the manufacturers and wholesale dealers of supplies required in the 
operation of the parks. This new system of purchasing from this 
ofitee from factory representatives and wholesale dealers has resulted 
in a great saving to the department. 

The superintendent or supervisor of each park makes a requisition 
«n this; office for material and supplies that he desires purchased. 
Thisi ©fflce then submits proposals to the various dealers, makes 
persona? inspection of the goods to be supplied, and makes the award, 
whereupon the supplies are shipped to the park, thereby saving a 
great deal of time as well as money. 

IMPROVEMENT IN TRANSPORTATION, YOSEMITE NATIONAL 

PARK. 

Starting on June 1, 1915, the Yosemite Stage & Turnpike Co. 
placed in operation between the Mariposa Grove of Big Trees and 
the village of the Yosemite Valley an automobile service for the 
transportation of tourists between these points. This service re- 
placed the old horse-drawn stages, which were uncomfortable and 
slow, requiring at least four hours and a half between Yosemite Vil- 
lage and the Wawona Hotel and an additional hour and a half be- 
tween the Wawona Hotel and the Mariposa Grove of Big Trees, and 
with this service it was not possible for tourists to go from the village 
in the valley to the Mariposa Grove without stopping at least one 
night at the Wawona Hotel. The new service provided a schedule 
that enabled the tourists to leave the valley in the morning and spend 
one hour and a half at the Mariposa Grove and return to the valley 
in the evening in time for 6 o'clock dinner. 



EEPORT LANDSCAPE ENGINEER OF NATIONAL PAEKS. 11 

This service has proven very satisfactory to the traveling public, 
especially the summer just past, as it would have been a physical 
impossibility to handle the volume of travel that went over this 
road with the old horse-drawn stages. 

ACQUISITION OF ROADS. 

The department has acquired title to that portion of the Tioga 
Eoad lying within Yosemite National Park. This road has been 
rehabilitated this summer and was formally opened on the 28th of 
July to the public. The opening of this road makes accessible that 
portion of the park known as the High Sierras and has opened up 
a section that is extremely beautiful and traverses the park in an 
easterly and westerly direction. The department's acquiring the Tioga 
Road has met with great public favor, and when same has been put 
in good condition it will be the most popular pass for transconti- 
nental tourists through the Sierra Nevada Mountains, as well as 
being a favorite trip for local automobiles. 

The department has also acquired title to that portion of the Big 
Oak Flat Eoad lying within Yosemite National Park, and improve- 
ment of same is now in progress. In the past this road has been 
operated by private owners as a toll road. Its acquisition by the 
Government makes this a free road and is one of the shortest and 
most practical, as well as being one of the easiest grades, of any 
road entering Yosemite Valley. 

ROAD AND TRAIL MAPS. 

During the year 1914 a topography map was started by the sur- 
veyors from the Office of Public Roads of the Agricultural Depart- 
ment, under the charge of Mr. T. Warren Allen, showing the topo- 
graphical conditions on a section of the floor of Yosemite Valley. 
This survey was made so as to show buildings, trails, roads, and 
bridges on a scale that could be used for working drawings in 
planning further improvements. This map was compiled in this 
office. 

It became evident during the first days of the life of this office that 
a comprehensive plan for the road and trail development of all of 
the national parks was an essential, to the end that the habit of 
building disconnected bits of roads and trails might be stopped. 
Plans for the complete road and trail systems for each of the five 
national parks were then drawn in preliminary form. The parks 
thus covered were Yosemite, Crater Lake, Rainier, Glacier, and 
Sequoia. 

THE VILLAGE PLAN FOR YOSEMITE. 

Using the topograjohic map above referred to, an exhaustive study 
was made of conditions on the floor of Yosemite Valley with the 
intention of relieving the congested condition around the present 
vill.ige. As a result, three plans were drawn in the course of the 
studies made. 

In addition to the village plan, studies were made for the new 
hotel to be constructed on the floor of the valley. Plans were also 
drawn for the new hotel to be constructed at Glacier Point, together 
with tentative studies for 12 village buildings. 



12 KEPOET LANDSCAPE ENGINEER OF NATIONAL PARKS. 

In conjunction "svith the work done on the replanning of the vil- 
lage, an entire new plan of operation for the concessions in Yosemite 
National Park was considered. This plan contemplated the granting 
of a concession to a large operator wdio would bnild a hotel of sufficient 
size to accommodate the demands on the floor of the valley, a smaller 
hotel at Glacier Point, and 15 moimtain inns in the High Sierra in 
the park, to be built at the rate of three inns each year. Several 
attempts have been made in the past to secure a concessionaire who 
would perform this service, but all had been unsuccessful, due to the 
fact that certain terms could not be agreed upon. The terms consid- 
ered in this plan were on a profit-sharing basis, the concessionaire 
under the terms of this arrangement to receive a permit of 20 years' 
duration and to share the net profits of his concession with the 
Federal GoAcrnment. This plan of sharing profits will overcome 
the difficulty of establishing a graduated scale of charges, thereby 
making it possible to grant a long-term permit. 

With a large hotel on the floor of the valley, a new one on Glacier 
Point, and a chain of mountain inns throughout the park so spaced 
that they will be within easy walking distance of one another, it will 
be possible for those of small financial means to see the entire park to 
an extent that is now denied them. 

In addition to this, the adoption of the village plan will do away 
with the unsightly buildings that now mar the scenery and will es- 
tablish a village properly planned, comprising buildings of carefully 
studied architecture. 

The above paragraphs have dealt with work originating in this 
office. The remainder of the work done in this office will be segre- 
gated under the headings of the parks for which the work was clone. 

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK. 

In addition to the work above outlined, plans and specifications 
for the new El Capitan Bridge over the Merced River were prepared 
in this office, and the bridge constructed under contract for the sum 
of $2,965. 

Plans were also drawn for a new bridge over the Merced River in 
the vicinity of the present village, which plans are now being con- 
sidered by bidders. 

Plans and specifications were drawn for ranger cabins in the 
Yosemite National Park, three of which were built at a total cost of 
$2,990. 

In December, 1914, new regulations for the park ranger force were 
drawn and promulgated by the Secretary. In conformance with 
these regulntions a uniform Avas designed and insignia of the officers 
selected. The park rangers in Yosemite National Park are now 
uniformed according to regulation, and the organization of the park 
ranger force under the new regulations has been perfected and has 
demonstrated the merits of the steps taken. 

CRATER LAKE NATIONAL PARK. 

Plans were begun on the new village for Crater Lake National 
Park in the year 1915. The work done under this plan comprised 
studies in architectural character, together with an investigation of 



EEPORT LANDSCAPE ENGINEER OF NATIONAL PARKS. 13 

the most feasible method of la^dng out roads for the circidation of 
traffic. 

In addition to this work, a tour of inspection was made, together 
with a study of the road and trail system in this park. 

MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK. 

A tour of inspection was made of this park in the late summer of 
1914, and the needs of roads, trails, and other developments carefully 
considered. Plans and specifications were drawn for a ranger cabin 
to be built of stone in the vicinity of the ruins of Spruce Tree House. 

GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 

The work in this office on this park has been confined to the pur- 
chasing of materials and planning of the road and trail system which 
followed as a result of a more or less prolonged inspection of the 
park. 

SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK. 

Trips of investigation have been made to Sequoia National Park, 
and a system of roads and trails planned. A survey has also been 
made (finished in June, 1915) of the Mineral King Eoad, which 
traverses the park, together with a survey and location of the pro- 
posed changes necessary to make this road practical and passable to 
motor-propelled and other vehicles. 

RECOMMENDATIONS 

AS TO THE OFFICE OF THE GENERAL SUPERINTENDENT AND 
LANDSCAPE ENGINEER OF NATIONAL PARKS. 

The following recommendations are based upon the assumption 
that it is the Secretary's desire to hold the general superintendent 
and landscape engineer responsible for the work in the national 
parks and that the general superintendent should in turn hold the 
officers in the parks responsible to him. 

The general superintendent should have the authority to employ 
or dismiss any men in the service, and that suspension should remain 
effective until revoked by the Secretary. 

Allotments from the annual appropriations should be made in the 
general supperintendent's office after a general plan for the expendi- 
ture of money has been submitted to the Secretary and approved. 

I recommend that the general superintendent be given authority 
to enter into contracts fo]- construction work as well as for the pur- 
chase of materials by contract in accordance with the general scheme 
of expenditures api)roved by the Secretary. 

This office has purchased all supplies for Yosemite, Sequoia, and 
General Grant National Parks since April 1, 1915. Considerable 
saving has been accomplished by purchasing in San Francisco rather 
than through local dealers in the neighborhood of the parks. Some 
purchasinir has also been done for other parks west of the Rocky 
Mountains, and in some instances from 15 to 25 per cent has been 
saved. I recommend that this system of purchasing and the forms 



14 EEPOET LANDSCAPE ENGINEER OF NATIONAL PARKS. 

used be adopted and the practice extended throughout the various 
parks "wherever practicable. 

In order that the general superintendent may be thoroughly- 
familiar with the phases of the work for which he is held responsible, 
it is my opinion that correspondence from the parks should be 
addressed to the general superintendent, or through him to the Secre- 
tary, and, likewise, all communications that have to do with oper- 
ations in the parks should be forwarded from the department through 
the general superintendent to the parks. 

I recommend that all regulations and instructions to be enforced 
in the parks be promulgated from the general superintendent's office. 

It is impossible to accomplish economical management of the parks 
without the aid of a practical working unit cost-keeping system. 
Such a system has been installed in the Yosemite National Park and 
is producing most satisfactory results. I recommend that this sys- 
tem be extended to each and every other national park. This will 
involve the taking of an inventory on the physical assets in each 
park such as was taken in Yosemite. This work should also be car- 
ried on in other parks. 

The title of general superintendent and landscape engineer of 
national parks carries with it two distinct and separate classes of 
duties. There is sufficient work under each of these two titles to keep 
one man very busy throughout the year. It is not humanly possible 
for one man to act in the capacity of general superintendent and 
landscape engineer and perform the duties that each of these two 
titles require. I recommend, therefore, that the title be split and 
two officers appointed for this work — a general superintendent and 
a landscape engineer. 

Perhaps the most important work that can be carried on in this 
office is the planning of improvements in the various parks, and I 
strongly urge that the work that has begun in the way of planning 
new villages for the Yosemite and Crater Lake National Parks be 
continued in the remaining parks where such work is needed. 

Several attempts have been made to establish by an act of Congress 
a national park service, and there can be no doubt in the minds of 
those who are familiar with the problems of administering our 
national parks that such a service is seriously needed. I would urge 
that every effort be made to secure the enactment of a law that will 
establish the national park service on a firm footing. 

The title of superintendent in any national park should be dis- 
pensed with and a title of supervisor should indicate the officer in 
immediate charge of the park, as the title of superintendent is con- 
fusing with the title of general superintendent. 

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE VARIOUS PARKS. 
YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK. 

The steps that have been taken for the erection of the new hotel 
on the floor of the valley and another at Glacier Point, and a chain 
of mountain inns throughout the park, will undoubtedly bring a 
materially increased travel. To prepare for this, more road and trail 
construction work in the park is necessary. The road from El Portal 



EEPORT LANDSCAPE ENGINEER OF NATIONAL PARKS, 15 

to the valley should be widened and properly surfaced. The road 
on the north side of the valley from Pohona Bridge to the new hotel 
site should be surfaced. That portion of the road on the south side 
of the valley which is now a dirt road should be surfaced. A new 
bridge should be erected in place of the present Sentinel Bridge, 
which has several times been condemned and which is now not strong 
enough to carry passenger trucks. 

When the village on the north side of the river is completed ifc 
will be necessary to erect new barns and headquarters for the Gov- 
ernment employees and stock. There is also a crying need for a 
new administrative building. The old building occupied at present 
by the superintendent is insanitary and rapidly falling to ])ieces. 

It is recommended that three motor-driven power sprinkling trucks 
be purchased for use in sprinkling the roads in Yosemite National 
Park, as the cost of sprinkling the roads in this park by horse-drawn 
sprinklers is entirely too high. For the months of May, J;me, July, 
and August, 1915, 6,162 miles of roads were sprinkled in this park, 
at an average cost of 93 cents per mile. The reason for this apparent 
high cost is that horse hire and forage for the subsistence of stock is 
very high. The average cost per horse-day for the months of May, 
June. July, and August was $1.07. By installing motor-driven 
sprinkling trucks and making some slight improvements in the water 
system this expense could be reduced 50 per cent. 

The purchase of the Tioga Road has widened the activities of the 
park ranger force, and this force should be augmented to control the 
travel. 

The park rangers in the Yosemite Park have no headquarters of 
their own in the valley. A ranger barrack should be erected, in 
which will be lockers for each ranger. A stable should be con- 
structed in conjunction with the barrack where the park rangers 
called to the valley/ for special duty may stable and feed their horses. 

An inform.ation bureau has been in operation for a few months 
during the season of 1915 and has^ met with enthusiastic approval on 
the part cf the public. This bureau gives information direct to the 
tourists regarding the condition of the roads, trails, and all other 
information desired in a way that is not biased by local prejudice. 
I strongly urge that a system of local information bureaus operated 
by the department be ad( pted in all of the parks and continued in 
Yosemite National Park. 

A collection of stuffed birds and animals indigenous to the area 
covered by Yosemite National Park has been started, and the same 
is being placed on exhibition in the bureau of information. The ex- 
hibits are supplied through Dr. Joseph Grinnell, director of the 
museum of vertebrate zoology of the University of California. Some 
of the park rangers have 1)een instructed by Dr. Grinnell and his 
assistants in the securing and stuffing of the birds and animals. The 
work done to date has aroused considerable public interest and has 
met with enthusiastic appreciation. 

A collection of wild flowers is also being completed and placed on 
exhibition. With each flower is a water-color drawing showing the 
true color of the flower. This work is being carried on through the 
park ranger force and the bureau of information. 




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irks and national monuments. 



18 KEPOET LANDSCAPE ENGINEER OF NATIONAL PARKS. 

SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK. 

The Mineral King Road, which traverses the Sequoia National 
Park from the western boundary to the eastern boundary, connects 
the San Joaquin Valley with a small summer resort named Mineral 
King. There is urgent demand on the part of the public to use this 
road, which use has been denied them. I recommend that the de- 
partment put this road in shape for travel at the earliest possible 
date. 

The Mount Whitney Power Co. has built a road up the canyon 
of the Middle Fork of the Kaweah. Surveys for the extension of 
this road should be made so that it may connect with the Giant For- 
est Road, thus forming a loop in the park. Another survey of a road 
connecting Sequoia Park with General Grant Park has been made 
by the Office of Public Roads. This survey should be considered and, 
if accepted, adopted and plans for its construction undertaken. 

To the east of Sequoia National Park is some of the finest moun- 
tain scenery in the world. The area in which the scenery lies is of 
little or no value for purposes other than the pleasure of scenery 
lovers. It contains the great Kern Canyon, Kings River Canyons, 
and Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the United States, together 
with almost innumerable other features. I can not recommend too 
strongly that the Sequoia National Park be enlarged to take in the 
areas to the southeast and east which contain these examples of 
wonderful mountain scenery. 

CRATER LAKE NATIONAL PARK. 

The present headquarters of the superintendent are at a point a 
thousand feet below the rim of the crater. The location is not satis- 
factory. Plans should be made for a secondarj'' summer headquarters 
on the rim of the crater, either at the location of the present hotel 
or at some other point on the rim. 

The ranger force in this park is not of sufficient size to adequately 
protect the park in the winter. The force should, therefore, be 
augmented to prevent poaching. 

A trail should be built as near to the water's edge as possible and 
as far around the lake as practicability will allow. 

Ranger cabins in the form of automobile-checking stations should 
be erected at each roadway entrance to the park. 

The patrolling of this park is rather difficult, as it is in all parks, 
and in order that the superintendent may perform his duties effec- 
tively he should be furnished with an inexpensive automobile. 

MOUNT RAINIER NATIONAL PARK. 

The entire stretch of road in this park from the park entrance to 
Paradise Valley should be surfaced with crushed rock. 

A survey of the entire road and trail system as outlined on the 
roads and trails map executed in this office should be made and the 
feasibility of following out the plans indicated should be investigated. 
Steps should be taken at once for the development of an encircling 
road around Mount Rainier and all construction work should be 
confined to portions of the general plan. 



EEPOET LANDSCAPE ENGINEER OF NATIONAL PARKS. 19 

The village at Longmire Springs is particularly unsightly, and 
steps should be taken to either clean this place and bring about a more 
hai-monious architectural scheme or the site should be abandoned 
and another one established. The plans for extensions of the trail 
system as recommended by the supervisor in his report shoidd be 
adopted. 

Tourists climbing the mountain are frequently overcome with fa- 
tigue before they reach the summit and are forced to stop over en 
route. A small comfort station should be erected along the trail to 
accommodate such people. 

Satisfactory headquarters for department officials should be erected 
in the village and the park rangers in this park should be uniformed 
according to regulations. 

GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 

The development of travel in Glacier National Park has been in an 
easterly and westerly direction. As a result most of the trails in the 
park traverse the Great Divide. It is impossible to take a trip paral- 
leling the Great Divide, which would be by far the most beautiful 
trip that could be devised in this Dark. In addition to this, there are 
practically no roads within the boundaries of the park, and automo- 
bile touring, therefore, is excluded. I strongly urge, therefore, that 
the plans shown on the map executed in this office for the roads and 
trails development of this park be adopted in general and surveys 
made to determine how much of the roads and trails indicated thereon 
are feasible and practicable. 

The headquarters of the supervisor, are established at the foot of 
McDonald Lake. This is not in my estimation the proper location. 
A thorough investigation of the available sites at Belton and some 
point on the eastern side of the park, either near St. Marys Lake 
or in the vicinity of Glacier Park Hotel, should be studied and steps 
taken to establish the headquarters at the location chosen. 

The park ranger force in this park is not adequate to properly 
patrol the area. 

The telephone system should be improved and all metallic circuits 
installed. It is not in any way satisfactory that the Government 
should use private telephone lines erected by concessionaires. It is 
my opinion that the department should own its own telephone sys- 
tem, so that immediate service may be had in case of forest fires or 
serious accidents. 

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK. 

This park is administered by the Secretary of the Interior, using 
the soldiers and officers detailed by the Secretary of War for the pur- 
pose of patroling and maintaining order. This constitutes more or 
less of a dual administration, which can never be satisfactorily car- 
ried out. In my opinion this park should be administered solely by 
the Secretary of the Interior or solely by the Secretary of War. 

I recommend that the improvements requested by the acting super- 
intendent for the buft'alo farm be carried out and that the additional 
fire lanes requested by him be constructed. 



20 REPORT LANDSCAPE ENGINEER OF NATIONAL PARKS. 

At Mammoth Hot Springs are several buildings formerl;/ occupied 
by soldiers of this military post which might be put to better pur- 
poses than those for which they are now used. There is a real de- 
mand for a museum, and I recommend that the feasibility of rear- 
ranging the interior of one of these buildings be investigated, and if 
it is found the same can be accomplished for reasonable cost, plans be 
drawn and contract let for the construction work necessary to estab- 
lish this museum. 

MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK. 

The present road, leading from the park entrance to the top of 
the great mesa, is poorly located and unnecessarily long. The recom- 
mendations regarding this road submitted by the superintendent 
should, in my opinion, be carried out. 

Many of the ruins are in such shape that it is practically impossi- 
ble to get about among them. I would urg-e that a sufficient appro- 
priation be secured to permit the Smithsonian Institution to carry on 
the work of restoration recommended by the superintendent. 

The many relics of a forgotten race that were once in this park 
have been scattered to the four corners of the world. Those which 
were retained by the residents of the district are slowly disappearing. 
If a museum, even of the smallest kind, were erected in the park, 
most of these relics could be secured either by loan or gift and some 
of the implements, textiles, and other objects of interest could be 
permanently preserved. 

ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK. 

This park is the newest in the system. The first steps that should 
be taken, in my opinion, are the preliminary investigations looking 
forward to a complete road and trail system. This park will doubtless 
receive the greatest tourist travel of all of the mountain parks, and I 
recommend that plans for its development be at once undertaken on a 
broad and comprehensive scheme. 

I would suggest also that no steps be taken in the granting of 
cencessions in this park until a policy is established for their opera- 
tion similar to that which is now being developed in Yoseniite and 
Mount Rainier National Parks. The crying need of this park for the 
next two years will be roads and trails. 

PLATT NATIONAL PARK. 

Piatt National Park, like the Hot Springs Reservation, lays claim 
to its place in the category of national parks by virtue of the health- 
giving waters to be found there. The accommodations and facilities 
for the proper use of these waters, however, have not been developed 
in any way commensurate with the real value of the water. There 
are two ways in which this water could be used and placed at the 
disposal of the great number of people who might be benefited by 
them: 

1. By erecting a large hotel or sanitarium in the park. 

2. By bottling the waters for distribution. 



EEPOET LANDSCAPE ENGINEER OF NATIONAL PARKS, 21 

I believe these two ]50ssibilities should be thoroughly investigated 
and the choice determined. It is possible that both might be ad- 
visable. The principal question, however, is the quantity of the 
various waters that can be secured. 

The French Republic operates a bottling plant at Vichy Springs 
and sends water from these springs to all parts of the world. If 
the flow of water in the various springs in Piatt National Park is 
of sufficient volume or can be developed, I believe that it will be the 
part of wisdom to see that these waters are more generally distrib- 
uted. Last j'^ear over 50,000 gallons of water were shipped by private 
individuals from Piatt National Park to all parts of the country. 

It Avill be entirely feasible, in my opinion, to secure the coopera- 
tion of a concessionaire to build a hotel or the bottling plant on a 
long-term and profit-sharing lease, providing a sufficient quantity of 
water is available. I would recommend, therefore, that the flows of 
these springs be thoroughly tested and the possibility of increasing 
them investigated. If the results justify, I would further recom- 
mend that steps be taken to secure a concessionaire who will carry 
on the operations in accordance with the above outline. 

HOT SPRINGS RESERVATION. 

There are two important problems in this reservation that should 
receive immediate attention. First is the public bath operated by 
the Government where medical services and treatments are free to 
those who are unable to pay for them. The present bathhouse is 
crumbling with decay, unsightly, insanitary, and reflects anything 
but credit upon the Federal Government. 

Hundreds of thousands of people have been relieved of suffering 
and as many have had their lives saved to them by virtue of the 
medicinal qualities of the Avaters of Arkansas. It is a great insti- 
tution and one that fully warrants the hearty support of our Fed- 
eral Government. The bathhouses that are privately owned are 
many of them luxuriously appointed, and the growing contrast be- 
tween the people who have money and can afford these bathhouses 
and the conditions with Avhich the poor are confronted in the free 
bathhouse is one that arouses righteous anger. I can not conceive 
a more noble act or more justifiable expenditure of public money 
than the erection of a new and beautiful bathhouse as a gift from the 
Federal Government to the suffering poor of this country. 

The second feature that needs attention is the general develop- 
ment of the reservation from the standpoint of a landscape architect. 
Several plans have been submitted for the reservation, but none has 
been adopted. 

WIND CAVE NATIONAL PARK. 

As a curious wonder, I doubt if there is anything in this country 
which equals the Wind Cave in this park, which contains over 90 
miles of explored passages which are hung with stalactites and 
sparkling crystals. 

The cave, however, is in utter darkness and the tourists visiting 
it are only able to secure a glimpse now and then while a bit of 



22 EEPOKT LANDSCAPE ENGINEER OF NATIONAL PARKS. 

magnesium tape is being burned by the guide. I recommend that 
a system of lighting the cave be worked out. A test is now being 
made with storage batteries loaned by the Edison Electric Co. The 
object of using storage batteries is to avoid the necessity of running 
wires through the cave. If these prove succesful it will be possible 
to carry the batteries from the various chambers for re-storing. 

The results to date indicate that this method of lighting the cave 
will probably be feasible, and if upon further test our present opinion 
is corroborated, I would recommend that some of the main cham- 
bers be equipped with these storage-battery lights. 
Respectfully submitted. 

Mark Daniels, 
General Superintendent and 
Landscape Engineer of National Parks. 

The Secretary of the Interior, 

Washington^ D. G. 



KEPOKT LANDSCAPE "ENGINEER OF NATIONAL PARKS. 



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EEPOET LANDSCAPE ENGINEER OF NATIONAL PARKS. 



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EEPOBT LANDSCAPE ENGINEER OF NATIONAL PARKS. 27 



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KEPORT LANDSCAPE ENGINEER OF NATIONAL PARKS, 




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Lots sold at Hot Springs in March, 1911, yielded $82,818 ; other revenues amounted 
to $36,060, 



EEPORT LANDSCAPE ENGINEER OF NATIONAL PARKS. 



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30 



REPORT LANDSCAPE ENGINEER OF NATIONAL PARKS. 




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REPORT LANDSCAPE ENGINEER OF NATIONAL PARKS. 31 



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